© Asya Verzhbinsky 'Tryst' reviews RB 'Gong' reviews 'Gong' reviews RB 'Carmen' reviews 'Carmen' reviews Guillem in reviews Nunez in reviews recent RB reviews more Lynette Halewood reviews

Tryst is more and more convincing on subsequent viewings, with more fine detail becoming apparent in its structure. There are short pas de deux for four couples, supported by a corps which precede the central event, a long, languorous pas de deux for Bussell and Cope The principals disappear after this – leaving us wanting more – and the corps flood the stage for a final sequence, all silhouetted in golden light. The company seemed more confident and more on top of the work than when it was first shown, understandably as they have more performances under their belt.

Christopher Wheeldon's Tryst
Photograph by Asya Verzhbinsky ©

But there is still a contrast between the rest of the cast and the utter assurance and authority of Bussell and Cope in their remarkable manoeuvres, balances, and mysterious negotiations. This, you feel, is choreography absolutely made to measure for its dancers, an haute couture creation for the abilities and special qualities of Bussell and Cope. These are dancers Wheeldon would have observed before he left the company, and for whom he has subsequently made a number of works. The rest of the cast don’t claim ownership of the work as theirs in quite the same way. (ENB as a company inhabit Hampson’s Double Concerto: it is quite clearly theirs, made for all of them, based on a close knowledge of the company as an in house choreographer.) Wheeldon’s corps work might sit more happily on the NYCB, where he is based now, than the Royal: some of the movements might look more incisive if there was a more Balanchinean zippiness in the legs.

Although Tryst was originally produced as an opening ballet of a mixed bill, this may not be its ideal position. It is a very well made work and repays repeated viewing, but it is restrained and reticent, and doesn’t necessarily get the audience’s blood moving – it might be better placed as a middle work.

Mark Morris's Gong
Photograph by Asya Verzhbinsky ©

Mark Morris is very popular in the UK, and has enjoyed great success over the years with both critics and the audience. He is the choreographer that ballet companies pursue at present. ENB are in the process of acquiring a Morris piece also. So importing a Morris piece made for ABT sounded a great idea. But, despite a starry cast, it didn’t come off on the night. The music was supposed to be based on Balinese Gamelan music, but very little of the influence seemed to come through (Prince of the Pagodas has much more gamelan flavour in it).

The musicality that usually provides such pleasure in Morris’s work didn’t seem to be in evidence. It was odd to see some of the pas de deux danced in silence. The dancers didn’t seem at home in the work: Bussell who had earlier dominated the stage, appeared subdued and the women (Bussell, Burn, Cojocaru, Nunez , Tapper) seemed generally ill at ease. The men had a better time of it, with Watson making an impression. There wasn’t much sense of the sheer joy of movement shown by works he has made for ballet companies he knows well (Sandpaper Ballet for SFB springs to mind). Perhaps Morris at two removes has somehow become too diluted. He did get a warm response from the audience though.

Mats Ek’s Carmen may not have been made for Sylvie Guillem, but she ignores this small matter, grabs the role by the scruff of the neck and does what she pleases with it. It’s certainly a remarkable performance. However the work itself is curiously lacking in passion for such a fevered and obsessive narrative. Carmen in the opera carries on her chosen path though she has seen her death foretold: Ek’s Carmen does not have this stature, she is just a strident woman whose luck runs out. Murru’s Don Jose is not a character who engages any empathy. For all the energy and shouting, and undoubted commitment and hard work by the cast, it is a rather hollow experience